Vice President JD Vance has denied reports that he was planning to host a “strategy mission” meeting to discuss the Jeffrey Epstein files at his home on Wednesday.
“It’s completely fake news, we’re not meeting to talk about the Epstein situation,” Vance said during a White House press conference. “I think the reporter who reported it needs to get better sources.
“The whole thing is a hoax, it’s put out by the Democrats,” President Donald Trump added.
What To Know
CNN had reported that Trump administration officials were set to sit down on Wednesday and discuss the handling of the case involving sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The network, citing three officials familiar with the matter, reported that the meeting would be held at Vance’s residence with guests including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The news comes on the heels of Blanche’s interviews with sex offender and former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. CNN reports that the meeting will also focus on crafting “a unified response” to the administration’s next steps in the scandal.
The family of Virginia Giuffre issued a statement calling for sexual abuse survivors of Epstein to be included in the meeting.
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08:00 PM EDT
Epstein accuser calls on Trump admin to release Epstein files
Alicia Arden, who says she filed a police report against Jeffrey Epstein in the late 1990s for alleged sexual battery, has called on the Trump administration to release the Epstein files.
“I’m tired of the government saying that they want to release them. So please just do it,” Arden said in a Wednesday press conference with her attorney Gloria Allred.
Arden also said she wanted to know what Ghislaine Maxwell and U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had discussed during their two-day meeting.
“I’m really not sure if we can even believe her. But I mean, I would like to know what the U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche asked and what she actually said to him,” Arden said.
07:19 PM EDT
Trump says he hasn’t been briefed on Blanche-Maxwell interview
President Donald Trump told reporters, during a briefing at the White House on Wednesday, that he hadn’t been briefed on what Ghislaine Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche during their two-day interview last month.
Jeffrey Epstein conspirator Maxwell was transferred to a minimum security prison in Texas just days after sitting down with Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney.
The interview comes ahead of Maxwell’s expected Congress testimony.
06:06 PM EDT
JD Vance, Trump deny ‘strategy mission’ meeting over Epstein files
Vice President JD Vance has denied reports that he was planning to host a “strategy mission” meeting to discuss the Jeffrey Epstein files at his home on Wednesday.
“It’s completely fake news, we’re not meeting to talk about the Epstein situation,” Vance said during a White House press conference. “I think the reporter who reported it needs to get better sources.
“The whole thing is a hoax, it’s put out by the Democrats,” President Donald Trump added.
05:49 PM EDT
Trump admin given until noon Friday to respond to Epstein victims
Judge Richard Berman has given the Trump administration until 12 p.m. ET on Friday to respond to filings made by Jeffrey Epstein victims, and their families, about the unsealing of grand jury testimony and certain other exhibits.
Berman said he wants the government to submit its reply, if it had one, to submissions made by or on behalf of the victims.
He also wants to know how much information included has already been made public and what the government’s position is on unsealing the exhibits.
Numerous victims of Epstein wrote to the judge urging him to take their privacy into account when considering unsealing grand jury transcripts.
“The survivors support transparency when it can be achieved without sacrificing their safety, privacy, or dignity,” lawyers Brad Edwards and Paul Cassell, who represent numerous victims wrote in a letter to the judge on Tuesday.
“But transparency cannot come at the expense of the very people whom the justice system is sworn to protect — particularly amid contemporaneous events that magnify risk and trauma: the public platforming of Ms. Maxwell as a purportedly credible commentator despite her sex-trafficking conviction and perjury charges, her transfer to lower-security custody, a government request to unseal filed without conferral, and the looming specter of clemency,” they added.
02:58 PM EDT
America changes its mind about Jeffrey Epstein’s death—Polls
Public opinion in the United States has shifted drastically regarding the death of wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, a new YouGov poll reporting that half of Americans now believe Epstein was murdered.
This marks a significant increase from 39 percent earlier in July 2025, making the murder theory as prevalent as any other explanation for his death as of August 2025.
The surge in Americans who believe Epstein was killed, rather than died by suicide, reflects not only deep skepticism about official explanations but also continuing distrust in government transparency when powerful individuals are involved.
The Economist/YouGov poll conducted August 1—4, found that 50 percent of Americans believe Jeffrey Epstein was murdered, while only 16 percent accept that he died by suicide, a substantial shift from earlier in the summer, when the murder view was held by just 39 percent. The remainder of those polled are uncertain or declined to state an opinion. The poll included 1,702 adult U.S. citizens and carries a margin of error of approximately 3.5 percent.
This polling shows little difference along party lines: 53 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of Republicans said they believe Epstein was murdered. High levels of suspicion persist even after the U.S. Justice Department released a lengthy memo reiterating that Epstein died by suicide and that there had been no verified “client list.”
Read in full from Theo Burman on Newsweek.
02:51 PM EDT
Every celebrity in photos from inside Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse: Mohammed bin Salman
A framed photo of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, grinning, with his arm around Epstein was on display in Epstein’s office, according to the Times.
Epstein pointed out the photo of the crown prince to reporter James Stewart during a meeting at the townhouse in 2018, saying that bin Salman had visited him many times, according to Stewart’s report published by the Times days after Epstein’s death.
02:50 PM EDT
Every celebrity in photos from inside Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse: Richard Branson
The billionaire is seen smiling alongside Epstein in one of the framed photos.
According to court documents, an Epstein accuser once claimed that Epstein kept sex tapes involving prominent people, including Branson. But she retracted her claims, and told The New Yorker in 2019 that she had invented the tapes to draw attention to Epstein’s behavior and to make him believe that she had “evidence that would come out if he harmed me.” A spokesperson for Branson told The Independent newspaper that the claims were “baseless and unfounded.”
02:50 PM EDT
Every celebrity in photos from inside Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse: Bill Clinton
The Democratic former president is seen chatting to Epstein in one of the framed photos, both dressed in casual attire.
Clinton’s name has appeared in court documents related to Epstein, but he has not been accused of any wrongdoing and he has denied knowing about Epstein’s crimes when they were associated.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Clinton was among those who wrote a note to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. His office told the Journal in response: “It’s been 20 years since President Clinton last had contact with Epstein, well before any of his crimes came to light. President Clinton has never been accused of any wrongdoing. Furthermore, when asked about the release of documents last year by the court, we did not, and do not, object to the unsealing.”
02:50 PM EDT
Every celebrity in photos from inside Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse: Lawrence Summers
A framed solo shot of former Treasury Secretary and Harvard University President Larry Summers is also among the photographs displayed.
Summers served as Treasury Secretary from 1999 to 2001, then president of Harvard from 2001 to 2006. The Journal reported in 2023 that Summers asked Epstein for a large donation to his wife Elisa New’s nonprofit organization in 2014, and had more than a dozen meetings scheduled with Epstein from 2013 through 2016, including several dinners.
Summers “deeply regrets being in contact with Epstein after his conviction” and New’s nonprofit “regrets accepting funding from Epstein,” a spokesperson for the couple told the newspaper at the time.
02:49 PM EDT
Every celebrity in photos from inside Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse: Fidel Castro
Castro, the Cuban leader who died in 2016, is seen alongside Epstein, Maxwell and two others in one of the framed photos.
Epstein traveled to Cuba at Castro’s invitation in March 2003, according to the Miami Herald.
02:48 PM EDT
Every celebrity in photos from inside Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse: Elon Musk
The tech billionaire is seen seated at a dining table in one of the framed photographs, but others near him cannot be clearly seen.
He has confirmed that he once visited Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. “Several years ago, I was at his house in Manhattan for about 30 minutes in the middle of the afternoon with Talulah [Riley], as she was curious about meeting this strange person for a novel she was writing,” he told Vanity Fair in 2019. “We did not see anything inappropriate at all, apart from weird art. He tried repeatedly to get me to visit his island. I declined.”
In recent weeks, Musk has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files. In June, he posted, but then deleted, a claim that the files had not been released because Trump’s name featured in them.
02:47 PM EDT
Every celebrity in photos from inside Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse: Mick Jagger
The Rolling Stones frontman is seen alongside Epstein in one of the framed photos. Jagger was among the celebrities named in a contact book released by the Department of Justice earlier this year, but he has not been accused of any involvement in Epstein’s crimes.
02:47 PM EDT
Every celebrity in photos from inside Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse: Pope John Paul II
A photo of John Paul II, who died in 2005, greeting Epstein and Maxwell is among several framed photos on the credenza.
The Sun newspaper reported in 2021 that the image was taken in 2003 after the pair flew to Rome for a private audience with the Polish pope.
02:46 PM EDT
Every celebrity in photos from inside Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse: Donald and Melania Trump
This image, captured in 2000, of Donald Trump and now First Lady Melania Trump with Jeffrey Epstein is on display in Epstein’s residence, with his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell cropped out.
Davidoff Studios/Getty Images
Among the framed photos on display in Epstein’s townhouse is a now widely circulated picture from 2000 showing Epstein with Trump and now first lady Melania Trump.
Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell is pictured next to him in the original image, but she was cropped out of the framed photo in Epstein’s home. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted of helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.
02:46 PM EDT
Every celebrity in photos from inside Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse
Photographs of famous people that were displayed in Jeffrey Epstein’s lavish townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side were published by The New York Times on Tuesday.
Those featured in the pictures taken from the townhouse—including President Donald Trump and other world leaders—have not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the wealthy financier and convicted sex offender.
The Trump administration continues to face calls for transparency about the handling of the investigation into Epstein, who authorities say died by suicide in a federal jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago. Trump has repeatedly tried to move past the matter, after the Justice Department said last month that Epstein did not maintain a “client list” and it would not release any more files related to the investigation. However, lawmakers in both major parties and many in Trump’s base have refused to let the issue go.
The Times published several photographs showing a credenza crowded with framed pictures showcasing Epstein’s ties to some of the world’s most famous figures, including the late Pope John Paul II, Elon Musk and former president Bill Clinton.
02:01 PM EDT
Massie takes aim at Trump administration over Epstein files
Rep. Thomas Massie has taken aim at his fellow Republicans over the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and JD Vance’s “strategy mission” meeting today.
Massie, who has repeatedly clashed with President Donald Trump and his cabinet members, shared a meme on X, taken from popular Netflix show The Umbrella Academy, showing two drivers passing each other in opposite directions.
“Democrats leaving Texas to protect their district. Republicans leaving D.C. to protect the Epstein files.”
01:27 PM EDT
How did Virginia Giuffre die?
One of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers died by suicide in April.
Virginia Giuffre, 41, died in Neergabby, Australia, where she had lived for several years.
Giuffre “lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” her family said in a statement. “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors. Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure. The light of her life were her children Christian, Noah, and Emily.”
11:59 AM EDT
Who was Virginia Giuffre’s husband?
Virginia Giuffre met Robert Giuffre, an Australian martial‑arts instructor, in 2002, while training to become a masseuse in Thailand for Jeffrey Epstein.
The couple married that same year and moved to Australia and raised three children together: two sons, Christian and Noah, and a daughter, Emily.
The couple were together for over two decades but separated in 2023 and were in the midst of divorce proceedings and a custody dispute by the time of Virginia’s death.
In her final months, Virginia publicly alleged that she had endured years of domestic abuse at Robert’s hands.
She reported a physical assault in January 2025 in Dunsborough, Western Australia, and shortly afterward Robert filed a family violence restraining order against her, which Virginia denied violating.
11:48 AM EDT
Who was Virginia Giuffre?
FILE – Virginia Giuffre, center, holds a news conference outside a Manhattan court in New York, Aug. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
Bebeto Matthews/AP
Virginia Giuffre, born Virginia Roberts in 1983, was a survivor of sex trafficking who became internationally known for exposing the abuse she endured at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
She alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein beginning at age 16, and forced into sexual encounters with powerful men, including Britain’s Prince Andrew—a claim that led to a high-profile civil lawsuit, settled in 2022.
Giuffre went on to found a nonprofit organization aimed at supporting survivors of sexual abuse and human trafficking, advocating for justice and legislative reform.
She died by suicide in April 2025 at the age of 41, a death that her family described as the culmination of a lifelong battle with trauma.
In the aftermath, her relatives have called for the full release of Epstein-related documents and expressed concerns about the circumstances of her death.
More recently, her name re-entered the spotlight after former President Donald Trump made controversial remarks suggesting Epstein “stole” her from Mar-a-Lago, where she had worked as a teenager. Her family condemned the comment, calling it insensitive and dehumanizing.
11:40 AM EDT
Virginia Giuffre’s brother on Epstein files: Expose ‘these monsters’
Virginia Giuffre’s family said they want documents related to the investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to be released, saying “it’s time for these monsters to be exposed.”
Trump was asked aboard Air Force One last month whether one of the workers “stolen” from his Mar-a-Lago Club by Epstein was Giuffre. Trump responded, “I don’t know. I think she worked at the spa. I think so, I think that was one of the people, yep. He stole her, and by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever.”
Giuffre’s two brothers and their wives appeared in a CNN interview on Thursday night and took issue with the term “stole,” called for documents on the Epstein case to be released and spoke out against any suggestion of clemency for Epstein’s co-conspirator and confidant Ghislaine Maxwell.
“She wasn’t stolen, she was preyed upon at President Trump’s property,” Sky Roberts said, referring to his sister.
He added: “(It) makes you ask the question how much he knew.”
Roberts was referring to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Virginia worked as a locker-room attendant at age 16 in the summer of 2000.
11:38 AM EDT
Will the Epstein files be released?
A final decision on releasing the Maxwell interview materials remains pending, with officials suggesting any disclosure would be accompanied by heavy redactions to protect victim identities and third parties, in line with Freedom of Information Act protocol.
The ongoing push for full transparency possibly ensures that Epstein’s case—and the political, legal and personal consequences stemming from it—will remain in the spotlight for both the Trump administration and its critics in the months ahead.
